


At The End

by KailynBail



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, in the future, mused by a trespasser slide, the real calling, thom rainier comes home, warden thom rainier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 00:38:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7955287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KailynBail/pseuds/KailynBail
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seventeen years was a long time. It was a hell of a long time. Thom wasn't sure if she even remembered him... if he was even welcome anymore. But his time was drawing near... he could hear it, in the back of his mind... a tune that wouldn't go away, it was distant but it was there. He had to see her, one last time. Even if it was only a shielded glance, a peek through distant leaves... through an open window... something. He had to see her... take that image with him down to the deep roads, fresh in his mind... to usher him into the void. Would she still be as beautiful as he remembered? Would she look up from whatever she was doing, as if she knew he was near? Would he catch a glimpse of those eyes... the ones that had always stilled him as sure as if he were made of stone? He could only hope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, there's this slide... at the end of Trespasser (SPOILER WARNING)... that you get if Thom is punished to the wardens and in a romance with the Inquisitor. It says that after a certain amount of years, a package comes to her (I'm summarizing here) with a griffon feather in it. So... I just ran with that. This is complete fluff here, totally for the heart only. There's like... no other reason for this to exist lol. There's some angst, can't have the fluff without the angst. Of course. But yeah... it's seriously just something to coo over. It's UNFINISHED but it's still technically a short story. There's not much left to write to wrap it up.

Thom Rainier adjusted his pack as he hoisted himself further up the hill, his worn shield scraping against the buckling… a shield that he had managed to hang onto, even after all this time… a shield that commissioned by the Inquisitor herself, a source of pride for him and jealousy for many wardens who had seen it… ice dragon bone _was_ very rare after all. He glanced up with high brows and a ragged breath… of course she’d settle up in the mountains, far from everything and everyone. He had to still himself for the seemingly hundredth time on this journey… it’d been so many years since he’d last seen her, in person… the only memento he had was a faded sketch he’d always kept pinned to the inside of his cloth underlining. The Wardens had kept him plenty busy… the inner turmoil and infighting, the restructuring and the uprising of darkspawn, all of it had kept him so removed and occupied for these past seventeen years. After the first five, he’d managed to send her something that showed her that she was still in his thoughts. But then… seemingly before he knew it, another five had passed… and then… it seemed too late. Another five came and went… and he spent the majority of that beneath the surface of the earth. It’d taken him two years to convince the Wardens of Orlais that he had earned his time away; yet was always told he was needed… thus the last few years beneath the surface was spent training new recruits. He was considered a senior warden now… and the song was growing ever louder in the back of his mind. It was that information that he divulged to them that allowed him this time, though they still wanted to resist; he saw it in their eyes when he met with the counsel, they trusted in him that he would uphold the final yet most important part of their oath… _in death, sacrifice_. He would be allowed to leave, live the last remaining years of his life as he saw fit but when the time came, he would be expected to report to the Approach… and take his leave into the Deep Roads. He left with a knowing nod, a silent agreement, yet he couldn’t deny the elation he felt as he left; and the moment he was free… he knew exactly where he wanted to go. Even if he hadn’t known where she was. A brief meeting with Divine Victoria, after being shocked at Cassandra’s aged appearance (though his was no better), had pointed him in the direction he needed to go. Though The Divine’s warning had given him pause… _Thom, please… be gentle when you see her._ He cast a worried eye up the mountain pass, noting that it grew steeper. It had been a few leagues since the last village and though he’d resupplied there and heard rumors of a woman who lived in the mountain, hinting that he was on the right path; he’d also heard of a hunter who dwelled with her. That had given him pause, was this what the Divine had warned him of? But he had continued on… he wanted to see her, one last time… even if it meant he’d only spy on her from a safe distance, he wasn’t here to disrupt her life… if she had moved on, which she more than likely had, hell… he wouldn’t blame her if she did. The sun was setting behind him when he crested the last foothill and saw the cabin just at the base of the next jut of mountainside. He felt his heart flutter as he saw the front door open… the windows likewise open and warmth spilling out of them. Flowerboxes, smoke billowing from the chimney… a garden overflowing with vegetables… a pin with goats, sheep… even a cow… and a few horses. The cabin wasn’t small but it wasn’t too large either, it looked as though it had been there… for a very long time. He moved to take a step forward, a smile creeping up his features beneath his silver streaked beard but he’d not finish that step.

“That’s far enough stranger.” Kody stepped out from behind the mighty oak, not ten feet ahead of this traveler that he had been watching ascend the steep foothills, yet he was no hunter nor adventurer. His bow was down but at the ready, one hand stroking the feather fletching of a knocked arrow. Eyes the color of the calm seas showed his youth, hair dark as the night sky tied back in a loose band to keep it just out of his face, the rest left to fall down around his shoulders… the start of a beard dusting his features, features that were losing their boy like nature more and more every day, if his _some people_ was to be believed. His linen shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his leather vest tied loosely. Likewise, leather pants hung from his obviously athletic body. Boots made for comfort and functionality dug into the moist earth beneath his feet as he shifted his weight.

Thom looked at this youth who stood nearly eye level with him. He noted the bow without having to look, the hard edge to his voice… the attire. So this was the _hunter_. No more than a boy… he hid his smirk well. He held his fingerless gloved hands out. “I mean you no harm. I am looking for Evelyn Trevelyan.”

Kody’ eyes flared slightly as he considered aiming his bow at this gruff looking man for that question alone. “What business do you have with her?” He didn’t bother hiding his guarded tone.

Thom took no offense, in fact, he was pleased. He didn’t know why this boy was here but he was glad someone was, perhaps he was yet another who had been drawn to her; she was always so kind… it wouldn’t surprise him if she’d taken in this boy after finding him wandering the mountainside. “I am an old… friend. I simply wish to call upon her and speak with her once more.”

Kody wasn’t sure if he should believe him or not… but since he hadn’t yet moved at all… and was giving him his due respect, he supposed… it couldn’t do much harm, he was here after all. “What’s your name, stranger?”

Thom offered him a hand, shifting the strap of his pack to do so. “Warden Constable Thom Rainier… ah… retired.” He added after a slight dip of his head, a small smirk tugging beneath his beard, that last bit to the introduction was going to take some getting used to.

Kody set his arrow back in his quiver and took the man’s hand… his features growing serious when the stranger introduced himself, his lips parting slightly as his breathing kicked up and he just stared. Long enough for the man to notice. He shook his head slightly, clearing his throat and taking a breath. “I’m… Kody.” He looked as though he wanted to say more but he didn’t… he just released the man’s hand and turned away from him… probably too quickly and making for the house. His mind spinning around on him as his world skipped just as quickly. He led him almost to the door, leaning in just enough for his voice to carry before he called out. “Mah-ma! You… you have a visitor.” The last came out low spoken as he cast his eyes down but turned away from the cabin before he received an answer. “I’m… going to the glen.” He called over his shoulder as he hopped the fence and aimed for one of the horses, trusting that… she would be in no danger, not from this man. Not from him. His mother was also not without her own set of skills.

Thom noticed the odd way the boy was looking at him… it was enough to make him look harder at him. But then the boy seemed to recover and give him his name. “Nice to meet.. you.” He replied in kind before he began following him. He had a suspicion that his mind was rejecting only for it to be confirmed when the boy called out for Evelyn. That single call, that one address, had him freeze in his tracks. Then the boy left.. making himself scarce just as Evelyn came to the door, drying her hand on a worn towel that hung from her belt. Thom was still staring after the boy as he left… watching as he leapt the fence without a thought, easy and as if he had done it many times, still as he hoisted himself up onto the bare back of a roan and got a running start before scaling the fence again, kicking the mare into a run as if the blight itself chased him.

Evelyn had been washing some potatoes for supper when she heard Kody call for her and then… visitor? She had come to the door with the question poised on her lips when her world seemed to skip a beat. Then.. Kody gave his decree and ran off. “Kody...” She looked after him and took the few steps out into the failing light. She took a ragged breath before calling after him. “Don’t stay too late!” His reply came by way of a whistle that echoed against the mountain side. Worry creased her brow when she looked back at Thom… still in disbelief that he was standing there. She fidgeted with the towel that hung from her cloth belt… the skirts that encircled her legs shifting with the action. She reached up suddenly and began trying to smooth down her silver streaked hair, once the color of rich mahogany, now, was turning more the color of the moon everyday (if she were to be any judge). She tried to tuck it behind her ears, attempting to tame it somehow. She swallowed harshly as she wiped at her face, sure that there was dirt on it somewhere. Still, she stared wide eyed at Thom… with his eyes the color of the sea… still somewhere between blue and green. Her linen top, simple and… she glanced down quickly and felt like crumbling… stained and dirty from earlier work in the garden. She took a ragged breath and felt tears gathering in her eyes as she plucked the towel from her belt and began desperately wiping at it, as if it would help any at all.

Thom watched the boy leave… but a voice pulled his attention and he looked to its owner. And there… all of a sudden… there she was. As if the past seventeen years hadn’t even happened. She was just as beautiful as the last time he saw her… it was as if he had strayed into a dream. He watched her call after the boy… watched the worry crease her brow… and then she stared back at him. He slowly set his pack down beside him, his shield rolling onto the grass… and saw how she began to fuss over herself, fidget… and then try to smooth her hair. He felt each breath he took seem to push against his chest all the harder, as if it were trying to break free. When she looked down and he saw what she was trying to do… he couldn’t stand it any longer. He took the few short strides towards her and wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against him, burying his face into her nape and taking a deep breath, pulling her scent in as a shudder when through him as he shifted his weight, as if trying to get closer to her though it was impossible. He prayed to the Maker that this was real… that it wasn’t a dream… it wouldn’t be the first time; though in his dreams, she had always been as she was the last time he saw her, in this one, time had left its mark on her… so this must be real… _please, let this be real_.

Evelyn was still trying to clean her top when she found herself overrun by him. The fierceness of his hold had her take a sudden breath but she held him back as tight as she could, her arm pulling him to her as if he had tried to let her go. She reached up and ran her hand down his hair, shorter than it had been before, grayer… she felt the tears that had gathered fall as her knees abandoned her and she felt him hold her weight. She held fast around his neck as she spoke. “Are you back? Please… please say you are back…” Her voice cut out for how thick the emotion was in her words, she had prayed for this moment, wished and longed for it… every night begging the Maker to bring him back to her; many had questioned her forced isolation… yet she could have never been with another.

Thom held fast to her, holding her to him when she could no longer stand on her own. How she held him… had his heart soar. He hadn’t known how she’d receive him… and in truth, he hadn’t expected her to receive him so openly. Nor had he expected to still hear the love in her voice or the words she said. But here she was, holding him as if she had wished every day for him to return. Her words had him release a sob he’d been desperate to hold back. “I’m back, baby… I’m done with the Wardens.” He pulled away as he smoothed her hair back and wiped the tears from her face, his hands shaking as he looked down into her eyes, eyes that had always held the world for him… yet he knew firsthand how hard they could be to keep… the fine lines over her face spoke of the time they’d spent apart, yet he knew every inch of her face. “But you know my fate… tell me now and I will leave, spare you the pain.” _Please… don’t tell me to go…_ he would… but it would kill him to do it. He’d go straight to the deep roads… even though he knew he’d still have a few years yet.

Evelyn looked up at him as she took a ragged breath, sending up gratitude to the Maker for his words. She took a deep breath as the next came but she only nodded to him. “I know what awaits you in the dark… and I want you here for as long as I can have you. Come inside…” She pulled away and made for the door, pausing as she watched him… as if she were scared to take her eyes off of him in that moment, lest he not be there when she turn around again.

Thom looked at her with all the gratefulness he had and would always think he had no right to feel. He nodded and released her… fetched his pack and shield before following her inside, leaving the door open when he gestured to it and she nodded for it to be left. He looked around and saw the great room that connected to the dining room and kitchen, all surrounding the hearth. He saw a leg of some unlucky animal on a spit over the fire, roasting. The air filled with the aroma of good food. He saw a home well lived in and remnants of one that had seen the raising of a child. He took another ragged breath and glanced to his left, making his way towards the table and nearly fell into a chair, setting his belongings beside him on the floor. He watched on as she busied herself with apparently the task she had been doing before his arrival… as if she warred with nervousness over what to do exactly. He watched how she moved, so skillfully with only one arm. When last he’d seen her, she had still been learning. He watched as she washed potatoes and carved them into smaller pieces, using an odd wooden frame no taller than the potatoes themselves to secure them to the counter before deposited them into an iron pot with some hunks of fat apparently left over from whatever meat was on the fire… over to the hearth the pot went. It wasn’t until she set it down did he speak. The next pressing matter that had been buzzing in his mind. Even as the words were poised… he felt the fear grip him for he already knew the answer. “Kody… he’s mine… isn’t he?”

Evelyn had just set the potatoes down when the words came at her, quiet but there. She straightened and frowned slightly, looking down at the towel that hung from her belt, smoothing it down as she sighed quietly but dutifully nodded, dreading the reaction but… she’d not keep the truth from him any longer. “Yes, he is.”

Thom tried to take a steadying breath. First, he frowned, his chin trembled as he set his elbow on the table and covered his mouth with his hand, his brows pitching outward to match the frown as he nodded. He felt the tears prick his eyes. All at once, he could think of nothing but what he had missed… what Kody had missed… and what Evelyn had been forced to do alone, a life he had never dreamed of wanting before he met her… before he had found the love he had for her, then he had wanted it with a hunger that it had been devastating when circumstance and seemingly fate both had deemed the world had other plans for him and that life… it was simply not meant for him… now to hear that it had happened… just, without him? He dropped his hand, took a ragged breath, trying to keep his composure… and suddenly, he failed. His features contorted as he covered his eyes with the same hand, his thumb on one temple and his middle finger on the other as he bowed his head slightly, hiding his face. He released an audible breath as if he had been holding it, his other hand braced on his knee as he felt his emotions lock up inside of his chest.

Evelyn frowned deeply as she watched him react. When it seemed it was too much and he covered his face she stepped towards him, reaching for his shoulder. “Thom…”

Thom heard her move and waved her off, looking up at her with red rimmed eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice was thick and gravel filled for the pain it held as he stressed the words.

Kody peered in through the open window on the opposite side of the cabin, his curiosity and years of wondering having got the better of him, he’d doubled back immediately… he had to know more than just what he looked like, though that had taken him about as well, the resemblances weren’t lost on him. He frowned as he watched this man, this bear of a man sit at the table in his home and seemingly crumble. So… he hadn’t known. Kody had always wondered if his father had known about him. The knowledge that he hadn’t… well, it helped soothe his own hurt. He had never admitted it to his mother… but he’d often felt abandoned by his father, even though she had been nothing but open about him. So he watched on…

Evelyn kept the frown in place as she withdrew her hand… she sighed and took the other seat at the table. “Ah hell, Thom… I must have started that letter at least a hundred times… but I could never finish it.” She looked down at her hand as she plucked at a stray strand on her skirt, shaking her head, knowing well that her words wouldn’t soothe the hurt he felt now. “I didn’t know what you would do if you found out—“

Thom’s hurt filled voice cut her off, rising with conviction, he couldn’t help it. “I would have left Weisshaupt that moment… come to you as fast as I could!” He sniffled and ran a hand through his hair roughly.

She shook her head at him, not faulting him for his raised voice. “And the Wardens would have tracked you down as a deserter. If you could have made it to me… we’d be hunted for the rest of your days. They’d never let you go, you know that. I couldn’t let you live that life again.” Her chastising tone wasn’t lost on her, yet she couldn’t help it. She had known what he would do, sort of… she just wasn’t sure _which_ way he would have gone.

Thom shook his head but knew she spoke the truth. “Even still… dammit, Evie… you should have told me.”

She sighed heavily. “So you could feel the hurt you feel now… knowing that your son was out there in the world without you? Knowing each year that passed… was another year you had missed? No, Thom… I would not hurt you that way.”

Kody felt his chest tighten at the information. He knew of the Wardens and how, after their grand fall in nine forty-one Dragon… they closed ranks even tighter than before even as they began helping the public, yet with their own? They became ruthless and strict; any who dared run from their ranks was hunted down for fear of corruption, and they didn’t ask any questions, they simply acted. Thus was why he had never been truly _angry_ at his father. He knew he was a Warden.

Thom just hung his head at her words, still shaking it a bit. “I know you wouldn’t… still… I’ve missed what…” He looked back up at her. “Sixteen years?”

Evelyn nodded. “He’ll be seventeen this winter.”

Thom leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. “Nearly a man. Maker… I’ve missed it all. And he? What does he know of me… of… his father?”

Evelyn softened her gaze at him. “He knows who you are. He knows… everything that I know about you. Well…” She gave a knowing smile. “Almost everything.” She couldn’t help the small jest.

“That’s why he was looking at me that way…” He ran his hand down his face with a ragged breath. “He must hate me so…”

Evelyn gave a bit of a shrug. “I don’t think he does… but I cannot even begin to say that I know what it is in his heart. He knew that you were a Warden… so I believe that has helped.” She reached for Thom’s hand, taking it easily. “He’s growing into a fine young man, Thom… very fine. And though you were not here… he is so much like you…” She gave him a smile, the fine lines on her face accentuated by the action. “He carries your name well.”

Thom’s fingers closed around hers seemingly on their own. He looked at her and visibly softened towards her as he took a deep breath. He managed a bit of a smile beneath his beard and then gave a half hearted bark of a laugh. “Maker, I hope not. I was a hell raiser in my youth, Evie… I pray he is nothing like the young man I once was.” He shook his head with another deep breath before he blinked… and looked at her with a quiet yet surprised look. “He… carries my name?”

Evelyn couldn’t help the bit of laughter at his description of his younger self… at his sudden realization of her words, she gave him a gentle smile. “Of course he does… Kody Rainier.”

He let his eyes flow over her face before giving her a tug and pulled her into his lap effortlessly, wrapping his arms around her waist and settling his head against her chest, taking another stilling breath. “I’m so sorry, Evie.”

Evelyn gave him a returned smirk and shake of her head but then found herself stolen. She set her slighted arm around his neck and ran her hand down his crown. “I know you would have been there… if you could. Knowing that helped… it made it easier.”


	2. At The End Art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Art

  
[You Came Back](https://tes331.deviantart.com/art/You-Came-Back-743790268) by  [Tes331](http://tes331.deviantart.com/) on [DeviantArt](http://www.deviantart.com)  



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